A washing machine which washes clothes is a typical laundry machine, and a dryer which dries clothes may also be called as the laundry machine. Of course, a washing and drying machine which can wash and dry clothes may also be called as the laundry machine.
Recently, a refresher which refreshes clothes, not with water, but with hot air or steam, is introduced to marketplaces, and may also be called as the laundry machine.
Along with this, a dishwasher may also be called as the laundry machine, though the dishwasher does not wash the clothes. Therefore, the laundry machine in this specification includes all of the different kinds of machines described above.
The specification will describe the laundry machine taking a washing machine as a typical example. The laundry machine is applicable to other kinds of laundry machine if the laundry machine does not exclude, or in contrary, to the other kind of laundry machine.
FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of a control panel in a related art washing machine, which is also applicable to the present invention.
The control panel is provided for interfacing with a user. Therefore, in general, the control panel is provided to a front of the washing machine for user's easy access and operation. The control panel has various buttons for user's operation, and may have various display units for providing information to the user.
A main function of the washing machine is washing. Accordingly, the washing machine is provided with a course selection unit 110 or a main function selection unit for selecting various washing courses, for the user to select a course. As an example, the course selection unit 110 may be provided in a shape of a rotary knob. In order to make user's course selection easy, a course indicating unit 111 may be provided to the control panel 100, for enabling the user to select a desired washing course by handling the course selection unit 110 to match with the course indicating unit.
FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view showing the course indicating unit 111 having different washing courses indicated thereon around the rotary knob 110 so that the user may select a washing course by turning the rotary knob 110. In order to indicate washing course selected thus, an indicating unit 121 may be provided, and with reference to this, the user may notice the washing course selected thus easily. The indicating unit 121 may be embodied with a flashing LED or the like.
An option selection unit 120 may be provided for adding functions to, or changing, the main functions. The option selection unit 120 may be provided in a variety of modes. As an example, FIG. 1 illustrates the option selection unit 120 which enables to select options related to washing, rinsing, spinning, a water temperature, drying, steam, and scheduled operation. An option indicating unit 122 may also be provided, which may indicate selected the option, embodied with an LED the same as before.
The control panel 100 may be provided with a state indicating unit 130 for indicating a state of the washing machine. The state indicating unit 130 may indicate the present operation state of the washing machine, a user's course or option selection state, information on time, and so on.
For an example, if the washing machine performs a rinsing step presently, the state indicating unit 130 may indicate “in a rinsing step”. If the washing machine is waiting for a user's course input, the state indicating unit 130 may indicate “Please input a washing course”. And, the state indicating unit 130 may indicate the present time, or a time period (A remained time period) until the washing machine carries out an entire washing course to finish operation.
In the meantime, the control panel 100 may be provided with a power selection unit 140 for applying or cutting off power to the washing machine, and a run/pause selection unit 150 for putting the washing machine into operation or pause.
The control panel 100 described before and the washing machine including the same have the following problems.
Besides a configuration for basic user interface, the control panel 100 is difficult to embody additional user interface due to a problem from a view point of space. Of course, though a complicate user interface may be embodied at the control panel 100, the complicate user interface has a problem in that user's excessive concentration and knowledge on operation is required. And, since the control panel 100 has difficulty in fabrication and requires a large sized memory, the washing machine itself becomes expensive too much.
Along with this, since the selection units 110 and 120 and the indicating units 111, 121, and 122 have respective functions set already, extension of the functions are not easy.
And, in general, the washing machine is positioned at a washing room which is not a place the user accesses thereto, frequently. Therefore, the user can not but has much trouble of personally entering in the washing room and accessing to the washing machine only for using the washing machine. And, even if different pieces of information are indicated with the indicating units 111, 121, 122, and 130, the indication of information may be meaningless if the user does not access to the washing machine, personally.
Consequently, it is required to provide a laundry machine which can carry out, not only the original functions of the laundry machine, but also the extended functions from the original functions of the laundry machine or new functions not related to the original functions of the laundry machine.
Along with this, it is required to provide a laundry machine which can embody the extended functions or the new functions without requiring replacement or modification of the existing control panel, i.e., without changing hardware of the washing machine.
In the meantime, the problems are not problems limited to the laundry machine, merely. The problems may be the same even to home appliances, such as refrigerators, ovens, air conditioners, robot cleaners, too. This is because each of the home appliances has a configuration matching to the control panel of the laundry machine, i.e., a configuration for user interface. Also, this is because each of the home appliances has selection units and indicating units matched to the selection units for carrying out respective original functions of the home appliances, and requirements for embodying extension of functions and embodying new functions are the same with the laundry machine. That is, the extension of the user interface is difficult even to many of the home appliances due to limitations on space or cost.
Accordingly, the specification will be described focused on a washing machine as a typical example of the home appliances, and may be applicable to other home appliances as far as the home appliance is not exclusive and contrary to other home appliances.